TMS wrote:

sidsanders wrote:

TMS wrote:

franco12 wrote:Don't the bulls need to trade Deng to free up more space for 2 max signings?

yes, but right now they have enough cap space to offer Lebron a max contract & another $14M leftover to fill out the rest of their roster... the Knicks have enough to sign Lebron & the rest of the roster will be filled out with vet minimum level contracts as it stands now, unless some trade is made to dump Curry's contract.

maybe douglas is the "poor mans" rondo... bos seemed to have the same concerns when it went for the hr: can rondo get it done, they have no depth, etc. still hinges on lbj joining up.

let's compare rosters side by side:

NY with Lebron:

C - Amare $16.5M
PF - Gallo $3.3M
SF - Lebron $16.5M
SG - Chandler $2.1M
PG - Douglas $1M
6 - Walker $850K
7 - Curry $11.3M
leaves NY with $4.55M to fill 6 more roster spots

CHI with Lebron:

C - Noah $3.1M
PF - Boozer or Lee $11M (Scola $8M)
SF - Deng $11.3M
SG - Lebron $16.6M
PG - Rose $5.5M
6 - Gibson $1.1M
7 - Johnson $1.7M
leaves CHI with $5.8M to fill 6 more roster spots... $8.8M if they go with Scola at PF

does the NY roster look that much better than Chicago's? i don't see it personally.

spacing. Rose and LeBron need space to get to the rim. Who are Chicago's outside shooters? Defenses just have to collapse.

TMS wrote:

sidsanders wrote:

TMS wrote:

franco12 wrote:Don't the bulls need to trade Deng to free up more space for 2 max signings?

yes, but right now they have enough cap space to offer Lebron a max contract & another $14M leftover to fill out the rest of their roster... the Knicks have enough to sign Lebron & the rest of the roster will be filled out with vet minimum level contracts as it stands now, unless some trade is made to dump Curry's contract.

maybe douglas is the "poor mans" rondo... bos seemed to have the same concerns when it went for the hr: can rondo get it done, they have no depth, etc. still hinges on lbj joining up.

let's compare rosters side by side:

NY with Lebron:

C - Amare $16.5M
PF - Gallo $3.3M
SF - Lebron $16.5M
SG - Chandler $2.1M
PG - Douglas $1M
6 - Walker $850K
7 - Curry $11.3M
leaves NY with $4.55M to fill 6 more roster spots

CHI with Lebron:

C - Noah $3.1M
PF - Boozer or Lee $11M (Scola $8M)
SF - Deng $11.3M
SG - Lebron $16.6M
PG - Rose $5.5M
6 - Gibson $1.1M
7 - Johnson $1.7M
leaves CHI with $5.8M to fill 6 more roster spots... $8.8M if they go with Scola at PF

does the NY roster look that much better than Chicago's? i don't see it personally.

I think the point that was being pressured upon us by the media earlier is that the main reason why LeBron would choose the Bulls is because of the better roster. But, clearly with the Amare signing, it's pretty close. The game has changed a bit.

martin wrote:

TMS wrote:

sidsanders wrote:

TMS wrote:

franco12 wrote:Don't the bulls need to trade Deng to free up more space for 2 max signings?

yes, but right now they have enough cap space to offer Lebron a max contract & another $14M leftover to fill out the rest of their roster... the Knicks have enough to sign Lebron & the rest of the roster will be filled out with vet minimum level contracts as it stands now, unless some trade is made to dump Curry's contract.

maybe douglas is the "poor mans" rondo... bos seemed to have the same concerns when it went for the hr: can rondo get it done, they have no depth, etc. still hinges on lbj joining up.

let's compare rosters side by side:

NY with Lebron:

C - Amare $16.5M
PF - Gallo $3.3M
SF - Lebron $16.5M
SG - Chandler $2.1M
PG - Douglas $1M
6 - Walker $850K
7 - Curry $11.3M
leaves NY with $4.55M to fill 6 more roster spots

CHI with Lebron:

C - Noah $3.1M
PF - Boozer or Lee $11M (Scola $8M)
SF - Deng $11.3M
SG - Lebron $16.6M
PG - Rose $5.5M
6 - Gibson $1.1M
7 - Johnson $1.7M
leaves CHI with $5.8M to fill 6 more roster spots... $8.8M if they go with Scola at PF

does the NY roster look that much better than Chicago's? i don't see it personally.

spacing. Rose and LeBron need space to get to the rim. Who are Chicago's outside shooters? Defenses just have to collapse.

Chicago would have $6-9M in cap space leftover to address that need... there's plenty of shooters out there for the taking... i wouldn't even rule out Ray Allen joining up w/that team to win another championship.

Solace wrote:

TMS wrote:

sidsanders wrote:

TMS wrote:

franco12 wrote:Don't the bulls need to trade Deng to free up more space for 2 max signings?

yes, but right now they have enough cap space to offer Lebron a max contract & another $14M leftover to fill out the rest of their roster... the Knicks have enough to sign Lebron & the rest of the roster will be filled out with vet minimum level contracts as it stands now, unless some trade is made to dump Curry's contract.

maybe douglas is the "poor mans" rondo... bos seemed to have the same concerns when it went for the hr: can rondo get it done, they have no depth, etc. still hinges on lbj joining up.

let's compare rosters side by side:

NY with Lebron:

C - Amare $16.5M
PF - Gallo $3.3M
SF - Lebron $16.5M
SG - Chandler $2.1M
PG - Douglas $1M
6 - Walker $850K
7 - Curry $11.3M
leaves NY with $4.55M to fill 6 more roster spots

CHI with Lebron:

C - Noah $3.1M
PF - Boozer or Lee $11M (Scola $8M)
SF - Deng $11.3M
SG - Lebron $16.6M
PG - Rose $5.5M
6 - Gibson $1.1M
7 - Johnson $1.7M
leaves CHI with $5.8M to fill 6 more roster spots... $8.8M if they go with Scola at PF

does the NY roster look that much better than Chicago's? i don't see it personally.

I think the point that was being pressured upon us by the media earlier is that the main reason why LeBron would choose the Bulls is because of the better roster. But, clearly with the Amare signing, it's pretty close. The game has changed a bit.

bingo. agree completely.

and i'll go further - until the bulls actually add a guy like boozer or scola with their cap space - that cap space doesn't mean much. the knicks have demonstrated how they can use cap space. the bulls have not yet

and i will literally ROFL if the bulls counter the knicks Amare signing by inking Luis Scola.

TMS wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

Solace wrote:

TMS wrote:

sidsanders wrote:

TMS wrote:

franco12 wrote:Don't the bulls need to trade Deng to free up more space for 2 max signings?

yes, but right now they have enough cap space to offer Lebron a max contract & another $14M leftover to fill out the rest of their roster... the Knicks have enough to sign Lebron & the rest of the roster will be filled out with vet minimum level contracts as it stands now, unless some trade is made to dump Curry's contract.

maybe douglas is the "poor mans" rondo... bos seemed to have the same concerns when it went for the hr: can rondo get it done, they have no depth, etc. still hinges on lbj joining up.

let's compare rosters side by side:

NY with Lebron:

C - Amare $16.5M
PF - Gallo $3.3M
SF - Lebron $16.5M
SG - Chandler $2.1M
PG - Douglas $1M
6 - Walker $850K
7 - Curry $11.3M
leaves NY with $4.55M to fill 6 more roster spots

CHI with Lebron:

C - Noah $3.1M
PF - Boozer or Lee $11M (Scola $8M)
SF - Deng $11.3M
SG - Lebron $16.6M
PG - Rose $5.5M
6 - Gibson $1.1M
7 - Johnson $1.7M
leaves CHI with $5.8M to fill 6 more roster spots... $8.8M if they go with Scola at PF

does the NY roster look that much better than Chicago's? i don't see it personally.

I think the point that was being pressured upon us by the media earlier is that the main reason why LeBron would choose the Bulls is because of the better roster. But, clearly with the Amare signing, it's pretty close. The game has changed a bit.

bingo. agree completely.

and i'll go further - until the bulls actually add a guy like boozer or scola with their cap space - that cap space doesn't mean much. the knicks have demonstrated how they can use cap space. the bulls have not yet

and i will literally ROFL if the bulls counter the knicks Amare signing by inking Luis Scola.

cap space doesn't mean anything when the Bulls are the ones who have it, but it means everything when the Knicks are the ones who have it? the Bulls aren't even sandwiched in to only making a splash FA signing... they already have the assets to pull off a blockbuster sign & trade deal for a top player right now if they should so choose... they have more options than the Knicks ever did & they got there by giving up a lot less than the Knicks had to give up to get to this point... what they do with those options is anyone's guess, but to say they're completely out of the game now just because we landed Amare is being a little shortsighted if you ask me.

No, it's that there's still a lot of max slots left on the teams who have them and not so many max-quality players left. Someone is going to get shut out and possibly wind up overpaying for someone like Richard Jefferson. If the Bulls other impact signing isn't Bosh, it's possible that it might not be enough to get LeBron. I also would be shocked if Lee doesn't wind up on the Nets.

Though the team that should be really scared is the Heat. I think they may be the most vulnerable to overpaying for second or third tier players, just to try to satisfy Wade.

TMS wrote:i think Miami is a pretty good bet to land Bosh & Wade... any Miami Heat fan would be happy with that... if not Bosh, then Boozer or Lee is pretty much a given to go there... not an ideal situation for D Wade but they're in the same boat we are... they went all in & cleared the cupboards bare for a shot at 2 max guys this summer... at least they still have ownership of their draft picks in the next 2 years (as far as i know).

& the Bulls can miss out on Lebron just like we can... there's no difference there... without Lebron on either team, i still think Chicago has the deeper roster... so if getting on the best team is his goal, i think Chicago has a better roster than ours overall, even with Amare here... but if making the most money & making the biggest splash is on his agenda (& both are very good reasons to come to NY, i'm not saying they're not), then NY probably has the advantage at this point... my point is you can't discount Chicago's chances just because we landed Amare... they are still pretty stacked w/options to pursue this summer both through free agency & in the sign & trade market... they're 1 of the few teams that actually have a realistic shot at someone like CP3 w/the assets they have to offer... u telling me if they offered Derrick Rose & Deng for CP3 in a sign & trade deal, that New Orleans wouldn't seriously consider it?

No, I agree with you. Those are fair points. We'll see what happens. I can barely sleep because I NEED to know where LeBron is signing. Now watch LeBron string us on for the entire month.

TMS wrote:i'm excited too... i haven't been this excited since we got Stephon Marbury to be honest... i just hope things turn out better than that.

From your mouth to Jah Jah's ears my brother.

He would be despised in Cle who still hate Chi. Jordan's runner in the lane sent the Cavs into a 20 year tail spin.

Lebron like to play and have fun and honestly he's a bit soft. The thought of going to Bulls and being hated in the state of Cle wasnt going to happen. At least NY is NY. When guys like CC come here it just comes with the territory. Sorry, there is nothing sexy about playing for Chicago. It was never going to happen.

At this point its like Bulls, Clippers, Nets 1% each, Knicks like 20% and the Cavs 77%

Another thing people dont realize is the more other teams want him and woo him the easier it is to sign in Cle. Title or no he will ALWAYS be the greatest Ohio athlete and the guy who spurned the bright lights and big cities for his home town Cavs.

If you dont think those are the driving factors you havent been reading the people who actually have somehing to say.

crzy... I agree 100%. Getting a 5 time all star PF who is coming off a GREAT season changes the landscape. You have a star froncourt guy and one of the league's best shooters in Gallo. You have some good role players also. NY is a great fit and our chances were worth trading Jordan Hill and 30 years of imaginary draft picks people think we gave up

TMS wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

TMS wrote:i think Miami is a pretty good bet to land Bosh & Wade... any Miami Heat fan would be happy with that... if not Bosh, then Boozer or Lee is pretty much a given to go there... not an ideal situation for D Wade but they're in the same boat we are... they went all in & cleared the cupboards bare for a shot at 2 max guys this summer... at least they still have ownership of their draft picks in the next 2 years (as far as i know).

& the Bulls can miss out on Lebron just like we can... there's no difference there... without Lebron on either team, i still think Chicago has the deeper roster... so if getting on the best team is his goal, i think Chicago has a better roster than ours overall, even with Amare here... but if making the most money & making the biggest splash is on his agenda (& both are very good reasons to come to NY, i'm not saying they're not), then NY probably has the advantage at this point... my point is you can't discount Chicago's chances just because we landed Amare... they are still pretty stacked w/options to pursue this summer both through free agency & in the sign & trade market... they're 1 of the few teams that actually have a realistic shot at someone like CP3 w/the assets they have to offer... u telling me if they offered Derrick Rose & Deng for CP3 in a sign & trade deal, that New Orleans wouldn't seriously consider it?

nope new orleans would not remotely consider taking luol deng's $45M contract. they are trying to save money.

luol deng is not really too trade-able. he has a horrible contract and can't shoot. i think at this point it'd be easier to trade eddy curry - based mostly on contract length. but this idea that deng is an attractive piece needs to stop.

also, you make such a big deal about the knicks trading their 2012 pick - the bulls and heat both burned their first round pick this year. the heat gave away pick 18 with daquan cook to shave $3M off the cap. the bulls gave away pick 17 to give away kirk hinrich - a pretty damn good player to just give away if you aren't sure about what cap space will bring you.

err, i guess Derrick Rose is just a throw in on that deal? come on, please.

as for the draft pick, trading a #18 or #17 pick that you KNOW is a #17 or #18 pick is highly different than trading away swap rights protected to 1 & another draft pick protected to 5, not to mention a rookie player you just drafted #8 the past season... gimme a break y'all trying to make light of what we gave up as if they're meaningless assets... "we only gave up 1 crappy pick & a crappy prospect" blah blah blah... please... some of you guys need to get into politics... the spin doctoring is incredible.

the bulls drafted hinrich 7th overall. they gave him away.

it's not spin-doctoring. you're clinging to jordan hill having some magical value because he was the 8th pick. they saw him and didn't like what they saw enough to keep him.

would you rather have amare and one max cap slot or one max cap slot and jeffries, hill, no pick swap in 11 and our pick in 12?

crzymdups wrote:

TMS wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

TMS wrote:i think Miami is a pretty good bet to land Bosh & Wade... any Miami Heat fan would be happy with that... if not Bosh, then Boozer or Lee is pretty much a given to go there... not an ideal situation for D Wade but they're in the same boat we are... they went all in & cleared the cupboards bare for a shot at 2 max guys this summer... at least they still have ownership of their draft picks in the next 2 years (as far as i know).

& the Bulls can miss out on Lebron just like we can... there's no difference there... without Lebron on either team, i still think Chicago has the deeper roster... so if getting on the best team is his goal, i think Chicago has a better roster than ours overall, even with Amare here... but if making the most money & making the biggest splash is on his agenda (& both are very good reasons to come to NY, i'm not saying they're not), then NY probably has the advantage at this point... my point is you can't discount Chicago's chances just because we landed Amare... they are still pretty stacked w/options to pursue this summer both through free agency & in the sign & trade market... they're 1 of the few teams that actually have a realistic shot at someone like CP3 w/the assets they have to offer... u telling me if they offered Derrick Rose & Deng for CP3 in a sign & trade deal, that New Orleans wouldn't seriously consider it?

nope new orleans would not remotely consider taking luol deng's $45M contract. they are trying to save money.

luol deng is not really too trade-able. he has a horrible contract and can't shoot. i think at this point it'd be easier to trade eddy curry - based mostly on contract length. but this idea that deng is an attractive piece needs to stop.

also, you make such a big deal about the knicks trading their 2012 pick - the bulls and heat both burned their first round pick this year. the heat gave away pick 18 with daquan cook to shave $3M off the cap. the bulls gave away pick 17 to give away kirk hinrich - a pretty damn good player to just give away if you aren't sure about what cap space will bring you.

err, i guess Derrick Rose is just a throw in on that deal? come on, please.

as for the draft pick, trading a #18 or #17 pick that you KNOW is a #17 or #18 pick is highly different than trading away swap rights protected to 1 & another draft pick protected to 5, not to mention a rookie player you just drafted #8 the past season... gimme a break y'all trying to make light of what we gave up as if they're meaningless assets... "we only gave up 1 crappy pick & a crappy prospect" blah blah blah... please... some of you guys need to get into politics... the spin doctoring is incredible.

the bulls drafted hinrich 7th overall. they gave him away.

it's not spin-doctoring. you're clinging to jordan hill having some magical value because he was the 8th pick. they saw him and didn't like what they saw enough to keep him.

would you rather have amare and one max cap slot or one max cap slot and jeffries, hill, no pick swap in 11 and our pick in 12?

again, you're trying to pass off this notion that because Amare's a Knick that the T-Mac trade was a success... that's ridiculous to me... we are halfway to the goal... we need to land the other big fish otherwise the plan is not a success... without the trade we already had the means to sign 1 max guy & enough left over to sign supplementary parts along with assets to offer up in trades... Amare could have been here with or without the T-Mac trade... stop the spin doctoring.